Core Bites: March 22

Published: Friday, March 22, 2013 at 8:35 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 22, 2013 at 8:35 a.m.

The Brevard Philharmonic concert series continues with the performance of a major work by longtime North Carolina resident Robert Ward at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Porter Center at Brevard College.

The orchestra will play Ward’s Third Symphony from 1950.

Ward, now 95, came to North Carolina in 1967 to serve as president of the North Carolina School of the Arts. His greatest recognition as a composer came from his 1961 opera “The Crucible,” based on the Arthur Miller play, which won the Pulitzer Prize.

Like much of the composer’s work, the Third Symphony is highly romantic. It has a sharp, striking opening, out of which an oboe solo emerges. The work has many of Ward’s unique touches, including a “walking” bass line often associated with jazz, a prominent piano in the second movement and a merry rondo finale.

The Third Symphony was commissioned by the Friends of Music in Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., where the composer conducted the premiere.

Donald Portnoy, Brevard Philharmonic music director, studied with Ward at the Juilliard School.

“He was one of my theory teachers there, and we have stayed in touch over the years,” Portnoy says.

“I recorded his opera ‘Roman Fever’ and have conducted his other symphonies. He’s been in North Carolina for a long time, and we felt the audience and the orchestra should know more about his music.”

Along with being an active composer, Ward has had a varied music career. He studied composition at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School, along with a summer under Aaron Copland’s tutelage. He taught at Juilliard and Columbia University.

In 1967, he became the second president of the North Carolina School for the Arts (now the University of North Carolina School of the Arts). He held the post until 1975, then continued to teach composition at the school until taking a music professorship at Duke University,

which he held from 1979 to 1989.

The concert is sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. James Robertson. Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for students. Call 828-884-4221 or visit www.brevard philharmonic.org for more information.

BREVARD

College Jazz Ensemble in concert Tuesday

The Brevard College Division of Fine Arts will present the college Jazz Ensemble in concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Porter Center for Performing Arts.

The theme for a portion of the concert is “Basically Basie” and will feature the 16-piece big band performing classic arrangements of songs made famous by the Count Basie Orchestra. Among the songs to be performed are “Shiny Stockings,” “ Fly Me to the Moon” and ”Pennies From Heaven.”

Brevard College student vocalists Blake Ellege and Natalie Comeaux will be featured with the band.

The combo portion of the performance will feature student transcriptions and include “Bags Groove,” “Body and Soul,” “Joy Spring,” “Swingin’ at the Haven” and “One by One.”

Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel will lead the Greenville Symphony Orchestra in a performance of three pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and one piece by Dmitri Shostakovich in “Mostly Mozart” at 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at The Peace Center, 300 S. Main St., Greenville, S.C.

The evening begins with Mozart’s three pieces in the following order: The Abduction from the Seraglio Overture; Symphony No. 38, K. 504, D Major “Prague”; “Don Giovanni” Overture, K. 527 (arr. Busoni). The evening concludes with the unusual and controversial Symphony No. 9, Op. 70, E Major by Shostakovich.

For concertgoers seated in the upper balcony section of the hall who are interested in learning more about the concert program, the GSO will offer its “Active Listening” program featuring MP3 players available for checkout from ushers.

Tickets range from $15$49. Call 864-467-3000 or 800-888-7768 or visit www. peacecenter.org for more information.

ASHEVILLE

Mountain dulcimer workshop today

An introductory workshop in playing the mountain dulcimer will be offered from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. today at Western Carolina University’s instructional site at Biltmore Park Town Square in Asheville.

The workshop is designed for individuals who want to learn the basics of playing the mountain dulcimer and also for those with basic knowledge who want to strengthen their technique. The class will be led by Anne Lough, a nationally recognized folk musician from Haywood County who has performed and taught for more than 35 years.

The cost is $49. Loaner instruments will be available if requested before the class. Call 828-227-7397 or visit learn.wcu.edu for more information.

BREVARD

‘Hunger Games’ tours resume March 30

Hunger Games Fan Tours will resume weekend walking tours in DuPont State Recreational Forest on March 30, and van shuttle tours will be offered on May 25 and 26.

Hunger Games fan walking tours will be available March 30, April 20, June 8, July 6, Aug. 17 and 31.

The walking tours cost $59 per person and include guides to the filming locations, lunch and camouflage, archery and slingshot lessons.

The hikes begin at Hooker Falls parking lot in DuPont State Recreational Forest. Archery and sling shot classes will take place in downtown Brevard. To make reservations, visit www.hungergamesfan tours.com.

The guided van tours will depart from the Transylvania County Arts Council at 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard. Cost is $89 per person and includes lunch and camouflage, archery and slingshot lessons. To make reservations, visit www.hunger gamesfantours.com.

Hunger Games weekend adventure tours are set for June 21-23, July 12-14 and Aug. 2-4.

The weekend adventure includes three days and two nights lodging and all meals, including a themed District 12 dinner and a Capitol dinner at Earthshine Discovery Center, and a shuttle tour of “The Hunger Games” filming locations in DuPont State Recreational Forest.

The weekends also will feature survival classes, night zip lining and a Hunger Games simulation. Survival classes include fire building, shelter building, archery, slingshot and camouflage.

The Weekend Adventure begins at 4 p.m. Friday and ends at 3 p.m. Sunday. Cost is $449 per person. To make reservations, visit www.hunger gamesfantours.com.

Call Leigh Trapp at 949-610-5570 or Tammy Hopkins at 828-553-7117 or email info@hungergames fantours.com for more information.

<p>BREVARD</p><p>Philharmonic to play Ward symphony</p><p>The Brevard Philharmonic concert series continues with the performance of a major work by longtime North Carolina resident Robert Ward at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Porter Center at Brevard College.</p><p>The orchestra will play Ward's Third Symphony from 1950.</p><p>Ward, now 95, came to North Carolina in 1967 to serve as president of the North Carolina School of the Arts. His greatest recognition as a composer came from his 1961 opera “The Crucible,” based on the Arthur Miller play, which won the Pulitzer Prize.</p><p>Like much of the composer's work, the Third Symphony is highly romantic. It has a sharp, striking opening, out of which an oboe solo emerges. The work has many of Ward's unique touches, including a “walking” bass line often associated with jazz, a prominent piano in the second movement and a merry rondo finale.</p><p>The Third Symphony was commissioned by the Friends of Music in Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., where the composer conducted the premiere.</p><p>Donald Portnoy, Brevard Philharmonic music director, studied with Ward at the Juilliard School.</p><p>“He was one of my theory teachers there, and we have stayed in touch over the years,” Portnoy says.</p><p>“I recorded his opera 'Roman Fever' and have conducted his other symphonies. He's been in North Carolina for a long time, and we felt the audience and the orchestra should know more about his music.”</p><p>Along with being an active composer, Ward has had a varied music career. He studied composition at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School, along with a summer under Aaron Copland's tutelage. He taught at Juilliard and Columbia University.</p><p>In 1967, he became the second president of the North Carolina School for the Arts (now the University of North Carolina School of the Arts). He held the post until 1975, then continued to teach composition at the school until taking a music professorship at Duke University,</p><p>which he held from 1979 to 1989.</p><p>The concert is sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. James Robertson. Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for students. Call 828-884-4221 or visit www.brevard philharmonic.org for more information.</p><p>BREVARD</p><p>College Jazz Ensemble in concert Tuesday</p><p>The Brevard College Division of Fine Arts will present the college Jazz Ensemble in concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Porter Center for Performing Arts.</p><p>The theme for a portion of the concert is “Basically Basie” and will feature the 16-piece big band performing classic arrangements of songs made famous by the Count Basie Orchestra. Among the songs to be performed are “Shiny Stockings,” “ Fly Me to the Moon” and ”Pennies From Heaven.”</p><p>Brevard College student vocalists Blake Ellege and Natalie Comeaux will be featured with the band.</p><p>The combo portion of the performance will feature student transcriptions and include “Bags Groove,” “Body and Soul,” “Joy Spring,” “Swingin' at the Haven” and “One by One.”</p><p>The ensembles are conducted by Jamie Warren, interim director of Brevard College's Jazz Studies and Low Brass.</p><p>The concert is free and open to the public. Call 828-884-8211 for more information.</p><p>FLETCHER</p><p>Feed & Seed lists March events</p><p>The Feed & Seed at 3715 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher, hosts weekend shows starting at 7:30 p.m. The March schedule:</p><p>u Today: Slik Nickel Band</p><p>u Saturday: BlueBilly Grit</p><p>u March 29: Brittany Reilly Band</p><p>u March 30: Moore Brothers For more information, call 828-216-3492.</p><p>GREENVILLE, S.C.</p><p>GSO to play mostly Mozart for concert</p><p>Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel will lead the Greenville Symphony Orchestra in a performance of three pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and one piece by Dmitri Shostakovich in “Mostly Mozart” at 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at The Peace Center, 300 S. Main St., Greenville, S.C.</p><p>The evening begins with Mozart's three pieces in the following order: The Abduction from the Seraglio Overture; Symphony No. 38, K. 504, D Major “Prague”; “Don Giovanni” Overture, K. 527 (arr. Busoni). The evening concludes with the unusual and controversial Symphony No. 9, Op. 70, E Major by Shostakovich.</p><p>For concertgoers seated in the upper balcony section of the hall who are interested in learning more about the concert program, the GSO will offer its “Active Listening” program featuring MP3 players available for checkout from ushers.</p><p>Tickets range from $15$49. Call 864-467-3000 or 800-888-7768 or visit www. peacecenter.org for more information.</p><p>ASHEVILLE</p><p>Mountain dulcimer workshop today</p><p>An introductory workshop in playing the mountain dulcimer will be offered from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. today at Western Carolina University's instructional site at Biltmore Park Town Square in Asheville.</p><p>The workshop is designed for individuals who want to learn the basics of playing the mountain dulcimer and also for those with basic knowledge who want to strengthen their technique. The class will be led by Anne Lough, a nationally recognized folk musician from Haywood County who has performed and taught for more than 35 years.</p><p>The cost is $49. Loaner instruments will be available if requested before the class. Call 828-227-7397 or visit learn.wcu.edu for more information.</p><p>BREVARD</p><p>'Hunger Games' tours resume March 30</p><p>Hunger Games Fan Tours will resume weekend walking tours in DuPont State Recreational Forest on March 30, and van shuttle tours will be offered on May 25 and 26.</p><p>Hunger Games fan walking tours will be available March 30, April 20, June 8, July 6, Aug. 17 and 31.</p><p>The walking tours cost $59 per person and include guides to the filming locations, lunch and camouflage, archery and slingshot lessons.</p><p>The hikes begin at Hooker Falls parking lot in DuPont State Recreational Forest. Archery and sling shot classes will take place in downtown Brevard. To make reservations, visit www.hungergamesfan tours.com.</p><p>The guided van tours will depart from the Transylvania County Arts Council at 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard. Cost is $89 per person and includes lunch and camouflage, archery and slingshot lessons. To make reservations, visit www.hunger gamesfantours.com.</p><p>Hunger Games weekend adventure tours are set for June 21-23, July 12-14 and Aug. 2-4.</p><p>The weekend adventure includes three days and two nights lodging and all meals, including a themed District 12 dinner and a Capitol dinner at Earthshine Discovery Center, and a shuttle tour of “The Hunger Games” filming locations in DuPont State Recreational Forest.</p><p>The weekends also will feature survival classes, night zip lining and a Hunger Games simulation. Survival classes include fire building, shelter building, archery, slingshot and camouflage.</p><p>The Weekend Adventure begins at 4 p.m. Friday and ends at 3 p.m. Sunday. Cost is $449 per person. To make reservations, visit www.hunger gamesfantours.com.</p><p>Call Leigh Trapp at 949-610-5570 or Tammy Hopkins at 828-553-7117 or email info@hungergames fantours.com for more information.</p>